By Saira Munir Hayat
By eating breakfast your body metabolism gets the right signals; whereas skipping it regularly slows down metabolism leading to increase in weight.

Luckily, the days of crash diets and starvation regimes are over. Now all you have to do is ‘smart eating’. Sounds easy? Well it is. But only if you remain committed!

In order to lose weight, a change in your food choices is definitely a healthy start; basic everyday food items which are easy to buy and consume can make a big difference in your weight and your overall energy levels.

These foods are mainly known to promote satiety relatively more than others and thus can help you eat less over the course of the day. Smart eating means making healthy food choices packed with important nutrients, vitamins and minerals; which help maintain your energy levels and prevent you from feeling lethargic and drowsy.

Apples

You have heard the idiom: “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away”. Well, the latest extension to that is that apples also keep weight at bay. This versatile fruit is the perfect snack with a high water and fibre content; helps keep blood sugar levels normal, fills you up and reduces cravings. Apples are also the best example of negative calories.

A medium apple has about 85 calories. However the number of calories which will be used up by the body in digesting the apple is approximately 150. Hence the medium apple promotes 65 negative calories, which the body will use from its reservoir.

A tip is not to peel apples, although apples retain more pesticide residue than other fruits you peel, such as oranges or bananas. The peel plays a positive role in your smart eating plan. With half the fibre and a lot of iron, magnesium and vitamin C, you definitely want to eat that peel to get full slimming benefits.

Eggs

Eggs make you feel fuller; resulting in fewer calories being consumed over the day. These are a much healthier breakfast option than bread and butter or bread with other spreads.

Eggs being high in protein also prevent morning lethargy. A single egg with one slice of bran bread can take you a long way into your weight management goals. A medium egg has about 80 calories which you can easily use up during the course of the morning. Eggs are a good source of vitamin D, which helps in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus necessary for making your bones stronger.

Cauliflower

A bit on the pungent side and quite a killer to chop and prepare. Cauliflower is the perfect option when you are trying to lose weight as it is non-starchy and can be eaten in abundance.

There are many appetising ways of eating cauliflower besides simply steaming cauliflower heads.

If you love mashed potatoes, try mashed cauliflower; simply steam, mash, add chopped garlic and salt and for that extra punch a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. One cup of cooked cauliflower has about 25 calories. How can you ever beat that?

If you are not a cauliflower fan, try spinach or broccoli instead.

Lowfat Yogurt

Not exactly a magical weight loss food, but it has qualities which aid in your eventual weight loss target. Yogurt is a welcome addition in most diets and menus, especially in summer. Most people consider it a healthy filler and an alternative to carbohydrates. In addition to this, the abundant amount of calcium combined with other bioactive compounds found in dairy products slows down the process of making fat and increases fat burning, especially around the belly.

Add yogurt to your diet by adding plain yogurt to dips, sauces and salad dressings. You can make a fast and tasty dessert by adding fruits like bananas, oranges, blueberries and mangoes to yogurt. These fruits are naturally sweet, so skip the sugar.

Oatmeal

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breaking your night-long fast is essential and the first step towards becoming slimmer. By eating breakfast your body metabolism gets the right signals; whereas skipping it regularly slows down metabolism, leading to increase in weight. People who eat breakfast tend to have a lower body mass index (BMI) and those who prefer cooked cereal have an even better chance at weight control.

Oatmeal has a high-fibre content which is why it fills you up for the day.

If cooking breakfast is not really an option every morning, combine whole-grain cereal from a box with plain low fat yogurt or milk and add dried fruit and fruit juice. This can be stored in the fridge and can be taken to work and consumed during the day.

Peanuts

The queen of dry fruits for most Pakistanis; abundantly found on every street corner during winter, peanuts are a good source of nutrition all-year round. Along with almonds and walnuts which are both good sources of essential fats, peanuts too cannot be left far behind. Peanuts fill you up. Hence, it is a good idea to have a handful as your mid-morning snack instead of having it after dinner in front of the TV. Peanuts do have a bit of oil, thus portion control is advised.

Soup

These tend to be consumed more on an SOS basis, i.e. either when you are down with flu or on a chilly winter evening. Little did you know soup is slimming and filling food.

Notice the word food? Soup is one of the healthiest and wisest choices when it comes to weight control. Adding broth-based soup to a weight-loss diet plan each day will multiply the amount of weight lost over a span of six or more months.

The water in soup adds volume to a meal without any extra calories.

To make soups more wholesome and nutritious, add raw or semi-steamed vegetables like carrots, cabbage, peas or onions. And for the fussy out there, some great choices are bean sprouts, mushrooms, beans and baby corn, all straight out of a can.

Fish

Fish as it is lovingly called “brain food” tops oatmeal and vegetables when it comes to filling food. Steamed white fish is a great choice for lunch or dinner, mainly because a protein-rich lunch tops a high-carbohydrate lunch any day. Besides, a meal with fish protein beats red meat any day, even though the caloric content of both may be the same.

Try grilling, steaming or baking fish instead of the usual fried or curry version or combine it with chopped ginger, soy sauce and lemon juice.

Salad

Just like soup, salads too suffer from an understated presence in our regular meals. Salads no longer mean a roughly-chopped mixture of onions, tomatoes and cucumbers but can be enjoyed in a variety of manners with a wide range of vegetables, pastas and meats.

You can add a lot of filling foods into your diet at one time: fresh vegetables, lean protein, beans and healthy fats to make it a complete meal.

Courtesy: The Magazine: Dawn

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

What makes puff pastry so light and crispy? Well, the secret is in the folding. Puff pastry is made by placing chilled butter (or sometimes lard) between sheets of dough, then folding and rolling it many times to create hundreds of layers. As it cooks, steam lifts and separates the layers, resulting in a crisp, flaky pastry suitable for the tops of pies or the classic French dessert, mille-feuille (translates a “a thousand leaves”).

Makes: 3 sheets

Ingredients

• 225g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 30g lard, chopped
• 125ml (1/2 cup) iced water
• 200g butter

Method

1. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the lard into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Add the water and use a round-bladed knife to stir until a dough forms. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until just smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
3. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out the dough to a 10 x 30cm rectangle. Place butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and tap with a rolling pin to make a 8 x 9cm rectangle. Lay dough on a lightly floured surface with a short edge closest to you. Remove the plastic wrap from the butter and place in the centre of the dough. Fold the end closest to you over the butter, then fold the opposite end over the top (the butter should now be enclosed in the dough).
4. Turn dough 90° clockwise and gently press edges together. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to gently tap to flatten butter. Roll out dough to a 10 x 30cm rectangle and repeat folding process as before. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
5. Remove dough from the fridge and repeat rolling and folding process 2 more times. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest. Repeat rolling and folding process a further 2 times and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest. (Dough should have been folded and rolled 6 times altogether.)

Notes & tips

• Makes: the equivalent of 3 sheets (25 x 25cm) ready-rolled puff pastry
• Prep: 30 mins (+ 2 hours resting time)
• Lard is rendered animal fat and is available in the dairy section of your supermarket, near the butter.

Top tips:

• When making puff pastry, both the ingredients and the equipment should be as cool as possible.
• Chill dough between folding so the butter doesn’t melt into the dough and the layers remain separate.
• Use a short, quick rolling action so the butter is gradually and evenly distributed between the layers.
• Roll lightly so the butter doesn’t tear the layers and break through.
• The pastry should be chilled and rested before cooking and the oven must be hot so the pastry puffs before the butter melts and runs out.
• When cutting and trimming pastry, use a sharp knife that cuts quickly and easily without dragging.

Source

Australian Good Taste - April 2003 , Page 80

Recipe by Sarah Hobbs

Ginger water
1 cup peeled, finely chopped ginger
2 cups water

Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Club soda
Lime juice
Lime wedges

1 Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add ginger. Reduce heat to medium low and let ginger sit in the simmering water for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 20 minutes. Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer. Discard ginger pieces.

2 In a separate saucepan, make the Simple Syrup by dissolving 1 cup granulated sugar into 1 cup of boiling water. Set aside.

3 Make individual (tall) glasses of ginger ale by mixing 1/2 cup of ginger water with 1/3 cup of Simple Syrup and 1/2 cup of club soda. Add a few drops of fresh lime juice and a lime wedge to each glass.

Makes four servings.

Ginger water
1 cup peeled, finely chopped ginger
2 cups water

Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Club soda
Lime juice
Lime wedges

1 Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add ginger. Reduce heat to medium low and let ginger sit in the simmering water for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 20 minutes. Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer. Discard ginger pieces.

2 In a separate saucepan, make the Simple Syrup by dissolving 1 cup granulated sugar into 1 cup of boiling water. Set aside.

3 Make individual (tall) glasses of ginger ale by mixing 1/2 cup of ginger water with 1/3 cup of Simple Syrup and 1/2 cup of club soda. Add a few drops of fresh lime juice and a lime wedge to each glass.

Makes four servings.

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From Here

Spice ingredients for one pot of tea:
1/2 of a star anise star
10-12 whole cloves
6-7 whole allspice
1 heaping teaspoon of cinnamon bark (or 2 short sticks)
6-7 whole white peppercorns
1 cardamon pod opened to the seeds (not pictured)
Other ingredients:
1 cup water
4-6 cups whole milk
2 heaping tablespoons of a high quality full-bodied broad-leaf black tea (Ceylon, or English Breakfast if a broad-leaf Ceylon is not available)
Sugar

1 In a 2-qt saucepan, add spices to 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil; remove from heat; let steep for 5-20 minutes, depending on how strong a spice flavor you want.

2 Add 4-6 cups of whole milk to the water and spices. If you don’t have whole milk, you can also use non-fat or low-fat milk, just add some cream to it, a few tablespoons. Bring the milk and spice mixture just to a boil and remove from heat.

3 Add the tea to the milk and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes to taste. (Option at this point - reheat to a simmer and remove from heat.) You can add sugar at this point, or serve without sugar and let people put the amount of sugar in they want. Traditionally, sugar is added before serving.

4 Strain into a pot. Serve. Add sugar to taste.

Ingredients

250 g prawns<!––><!–prawns–>

1 clove<!––>

1 tablespoon anise seed<!–anise seed–><!––>

3 tablespoons garlic paste<!–garlic paste–><!––>

2 tablespoons red chili powder<!–red chili powder–><!––>

1 teaspoon turmeric powder<!–turmeric powder–><!––>

2 onion<!–onions–><!––>

1 tomato<!––>

1 bunch fresh coriander leaves<!–fresh coriander leaves–><!––>

salt<!–salt–><!––>

Directions

1. Peel and clean the prawns neatly.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan.
3. Put cloves, aniseed, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes and saute it well.
4. Add prawns, chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder and garlic paste.
5. Cook for 10 minutes.
6. Garnish with corriander leaves.

7. Serve.

Via Here

How To Make A Strawberry Sundae

INGREDIENTS

PREP TIME	5 Min
COOK TIME	15 Min
READY IN	20 Min

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

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plenty of honey

Originally uploaded by chikache

All yum

Just to keep the blog alive with yummies

Ginger, in urdu we call it ADRAK, is said to be the most beneficial food/spice … a few of its benefits are mentioned here via this site

Ginger is an herb, which originated in China and later, spread to India, Southeast Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean. It is basically the rhizome of the monocotyledonous perennial plant Zingiber officinale. It has been in use since ages, both as a spice as well as an herb. The nutrients present inside ginger, especially its volatile oils - gingerols and shogaols, accord a number of health benefits to its users. Infact, ginger has also been found to be effective in fighting against some fatal ailments like cancer. In the following lines, we have provided information on nutritional value and health benefits of eating ginger.

Nutritional Value of Ginger

Ginger has been known to comprise of the following nutrients:

• Calcium
• Carbohydrate
• Dietary Fiber
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Potassium
• Protein
• Selenium
• Sodium
• Vitamin C, E and B6

Health & Nutrition Benefits of Eating Ginger

• Ginger has been found to be helpful in blocking the harmful effects of prostaglandin, a substance that can lead to inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain and even cause migraines.
• Ginger has been associated with alleviation of the feeling of nausea, even in case of pregnant women.
• The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger make it effective in alleviation of the pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
• Ginger helps to promote warmth in the upper respiratory tract and thus, is quite effective in treating cold and flu.
• Those suffering from cramps, caused by stomach gas, have found ginger to be quite effective.
• Ginger makes the platelets less sticky and is thus, pretty helpful in case of circulatory disorders.
• The cineole content in ginger has been found to be a mood enhancer and can help in relieving stress.
• Even ginger tea is said to be a great stress buster and has been found to have refreshing properties.
• Ginger is a natural and effective mouth freshener and also aids digestion.
• Ginger reduces inflammation and also helps lower cholesterol.
• Ginger is good for those suffering from gas and bloating.
• Ginger is believed to have anti-cancer properties.
• Ginger has been associated with easing of menstrual cramps and mitigation of headache.
• Ginger is quite effective in treating diarrhea.

Nutritional Value: 178 calories, 22.1-gram proteins, 10.8-gram carbohydrates and 4.9-gram fats.

• Cooking Time: 1 hour

• Ingredients
  • 150g chicken (boneless)
  • 1/4 tablespoon salt
  • 1/4 tablespoon red chilli powder
  • 1/4 tablespoon pepper powder
  • 1 tablespoon Worcester shire sauce
  • 1/2 egg white
  • 40g capsicum
  • 40 g cucumber
  • 40g onion
    • 1 tablespoon oil
  • (For sauce) 1/2 tablespoon garlic (chopped), 1/2 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoon water, 1/3 tablespoon salt, 1/3 tablespoon sugar 1/2 tablespoon soya sauce, 1/4 tablespoon pepper powder

• Method:
  • Take the chicken and wash it properly. Now let it dry.
  • Add salt and chilli powder along with Worcester/shire sauce to the chicken and leave aside for half an hour.
  • Mix arrowroot powder with egg white and marinate the chicken with this paste.
  • Set the oven at a temperature of 400′ F and roast the chicken for about 40 minutes or till the chicken gets completely cooked.
  • Heat oil and saute all the vegetables. Add a little sauce.
  • In that mixture, add chicken and all the sauce ingredients and stir properly.
  • Simmer for about 10 minutes, till the sauce coats the chicken pieces well.

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